1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for the production of an ethylene sulfide/sulfur copolymer. This invention also relates to an ethylene sulfide/sulfur copolymer. Specifically, this invention relates to a copolymer which is obtained by the copolymerization of ethylene sulfide with sulfur and which is useful as a vulcanizer and a vulcanization accelerator in tire quality rubber, industrial elastomer, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The copolymer of propylene sulfide with sulfur has been known for a long time to the art. Reports covering this copolymer have occurred in the literature including Nature, 273, pp. 738-739 (1978), Macromolecules, 15(1), pp. 36-40 (1982), J. Macromol. Sci.-Chem., A20(9), pp. 967-978 (1983), and Makromol. Chem., Rapid Commun., 9, 151-157 (1988). But any copolymer of ethylene sulfide with sulfur has not been known.
An object of this invention is to provide a novel ethylene sulfide/sulfur copolymer and a method for the production thereof.